203: Chapter 203 The Cliff

The night rain in the hinterlands of Mang Mountain was endless. Cold rain threads hammered against the layers of broad leaves, stirring up waves of white mist.

Gu Shen stepped on his thunder shadow boots, his figure darting rapidly like a ghost among the intertwined giant trees.

The cramping pain from his internal organs felt like a tangible blade. Every step he took required immense willpower to suppress the surging blood and Qi.

Inside his Dantian Qi Sea, the [Nirvana Star Core] maintained its most basic rotation. Deep cyan true essence transformed into thousands of fine threads, tightly enveloping his damaged heart meridians.

"Master, five miles behind us, three high-energy heat sources have suddenly vanished. The enemy's main formation is shrinking and shifting; a large number of mountain-searching units are closing in on the swamp area in a fan shape."

From the black iron clasp at his collar, Crab's standalone electronic voice was transmitted into Gu Shen's ears via bone conduction, "There are currently four flying units equipped with wide-area sonar and spiritual power detection waves, locking down the airspace above us."

Gu Shen's gaze turned icy, his footsteps not stopping.

Decisive slaughter could delay pursuit for a moment, but it would inevitably invite even more frenzied retaliation. The Beast Taming Sect had lost several inner Sect elites; the leader, Core Disciple Qin Wuyan, would surely mobilize all available resources to turn this hundred-mile radius into a dead zone.

He flipped his wrist and extracted a drop of [essence white dew (medium)] from his Storage Ring, tilting his head back to place it under his tongue.

The warm and pure vitality dissolved in wisps, slightly alleviating the stagnation in his meridians and injecting a measure of kinetic energy into his Cold Jade Bone to sustain his climb.

"Lock onto the magnetic field blind spot of the main precipice Peak." Gu Shen uttered the command in his heart.

"Understood. Ten miles ahead, there is an isolated Peak piercing the clouds. Microwave scanning shows that the mountain's rock body is rich in high-concentration basalt magnetic ore. This natural magnetic field forms an excellent shielding layer, capable of effectively refracting a Cultivator's Divine Sense detection and the optical capture of spirit birds. There is a hidden crevice on the mountainside with a constant internal temperature, suitable for hiding."

Having clarified the direction, Gu Shen gathered his remaining true essence, his body turning into a gray lightning bolt amidst the sea of trees.

Occasionally, low-grade Yao Beasts would be startled along the way, but before they could even hiss, they were forcibly cowed by the Cold Jade Bone pressure emanating from Gu Shen's body, causing them to cower on the ground and tremble.

About half an hour later, a towering, precipitous black stone isolated Peak stood abruptly before his eyes.

The four walls of the isolated Peak were unusually steep, and the rock surface was covered in slippery dark red moss. The gale wind circled the Peak, emitting a shrill wail.

Gu Shen looked up. On such a precipice, an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator would need to operate a flying Magical Artifact to reach the summit. However, the sky was currently filled with the Beast Taming Sect's Red-Eyed Blood Bats and Red Flame Golden Eagles; any spiritual power fluctuation from a flying Magical Artifact would be equivalent to exposing his location.

He sheathed his thunder pattern gold-slaying blade and reached out with both hands, his ten fingers like steel cones forged from black iron, driving directly into the hard rock wall.

Relying on the extraordinary Physical Body of the third level Major Achievement of the Bone Refining Art, Gu Shen climbed up with his bare hands like an agile mountain ape. The magnetic ore on the rock wall did have an adsorption and obstructive effect on mana, but it actually became his home turf for pure physical force.

The faint sound of crumbling rock was completely covered by the mountain wind.

Climbing to the mountainside, a narrow, long crevice obscured by a few inverted ancient pine trees appeared in his line of sight.

Gu Shen exerted force with one arm, his body vaulted into the air, and he landed steadily inside the crevice.

The crevice was deep and winding, with an internal space less than two zhang wide, just enough to accommodate a few people. The dry rock isolated the rain and cold from the outside.

Gu Shen did not rush to rest. He reached back and took out several Formation instruments he had previously seized from the Beast Taming Sect Disciples from his Storage Ring.

Although these Formation Flags and Formation Plates had Divine Sense imprints, with Gu Shen's attainments in the way of Formations derived from the Thousand Mechanisms Spirit Pivot Array Diagram, he could erase the old imprints with slight modifications.

He flicked his fingers repeatedly, precisely nailing the eight small bronze flags into the eight dead corners of the crevice entrance. Then, he embedded a main Formation Plate into the ground and inserted a few Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

With a slight humming sound, a layer of cyan light screen, faint as nothingness, rose along the rock wall, perfectly blending with the surrounding basalt magnetic ore. This was a simple Concealment and Confusion Formation; although it had no defensive power, it could completely seal off the temperature and smell inside the crevice.

Once properly arranged, Gu Shen sat down cross-legged, leaning against the rock wall as if drained of strength.

His clothes were tattered, stained with blotches of dirty blood. The pain in his internal organs washed over him like waves; he gritted his teeth, fully activating the Longevity Art, and mobilized his deep cyan true essence to repair his damaged body.

"Master, external environment high-energy alert."

Crab's electronic voice suddenly became urgent, "Three Spiritual Pressure sources far exceeding the Qi Refining Stage are closing in on the isolated Peak in a triangular formation. One of the wave characteristics highly matches the target that previously released the infrasonic attack. The blockade Formation they brought has completely sealed off the entire outer space of the mountain."

Qin Wuyan had arrived.

This Prodigy of the Beast Taming Sect had, after all, relied on the Sect's massive search network to lock the scope tightly onto this natural precipice.

"This person's patience is truly rare." Gu Shen opened his eyes, his gaze deep as an abyss, "Even after being injured, he actually came to the front line to supervise the battle. Such a style of leaving no future trouble is truly ruthless."

Outside the precipice.

Qin Wuyan stepped on a jade Flying Sword, his white clothes fluttering in the mountain wind. His complexion was slightly pale, and the hidden injury on his chest, caused by Gu Shen's heavy punch, was still throbbing with pain.

He looked down at the towering black stone isolated Peak below, holding a compass shimmering with starlight in his hand. When the compass needle pointed at the isolated Peak, it began to spin randomly without any pattern.

"Senior Brother Qin, this mountain contains high-density magnetic ore, making it extremely difficult for Divine Sense to penetrate. Those blood bats also fear the magnetic field here and refuse to approach. If that thief is hiding inside, relying solely on manpower to search the mountain will likely take several days." An accompanying inner Sect deacon reported respectfully.

Qin Wuyan tucked the compass into his sleeve, his gaze cold and penetrating.

"He was hit by my Mountain-Quaking Zither Sound, his five internal organs are burning, and he will not live for more than three days. Since he has hidden in this magnetic mountain, he is a turtle in a jar."

Qin Wuyan raised his hand and offered up a scarlet red Formation Flag, ordering in a deep voice, "Deploy the Heaven Fire Mountain Burning Array. Since we cannot find him, we will burn this mountain, along with that rat, into ashes."

Once these words were spoken, the surrounding Disciples were all shaken. The Heaven Fire Mountain Burning Array was a treasured offensive heavy weapon of the Sect, requiring a massive amount of Spirit Stones to operate. For Senior Brother Qin to use such resources just to kill a mere Loose Cultivator showed the intensity of his murderous intent.

Dozens of elites received the order and scattered to take their positions.

Deep inside the crevice.

Gu Shen clearly perceived the overwhelming and violent changes in the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence outside. Fire-attribute Spiritual Qi gathered towards the sky above the isolated Peak like a raging tide, and the surrounding temperature began to rise steadily.

The stone walls took on an abnormal dark red.

"Burning the mountains and boiling the seas. What grand spirit."

Gu Shen's tone was calm, without the slightest bit of fear.

If he were in his prime, he would definitely use the thunder pattern gold-slaying blade to split the sea of fire and fight these great Sect Prodigies for another three hundred rounds. But today, temporarily avoiding the sharp edge was the right path of survival.

He crossed his palms over his Dantian Qi Sea.

In the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness.

The ancient and heavy [Heaven and Earth Furnace] emitted a vast roar that shook the Dao.

This supreme treasure cauldron, which carried the Laws of the two worlds, had its lid open with a bang. The pale white fire of the Laws, like an inverted galaxy, poured out along Gu Shen's limbs and bones.

"Open."

Gu Shen softly uttered the word in his heart.

The fire of the Laws completely enveloped his body as he sat cross-legged. This flame had no worldly temperature at all, yet it could dissolve spatial barriers and sever all worldly Karma.

Outside, the Heaven Fire Mountain Burning Array had already accumulated its power to its Peak.

Endless scarlet flames turned into violent fire dragons, pouring down from the sky, instantly swallowing the entire basalt magnetic mountain. The mountain rocks cracked and crumbled, and the vegetation turned to ash.

The crevice hidden on the mountainside bore the brunt of it; the light screen of the Concealment and Confusion Formation did not even last for a breath before turning into nothingness in the towering sea of fire.

The flames poured back into the crevice.

However.

The moment the flames swallowed the end of the crevice, the mass of pale white void fire enveloping Gu Shen suddenly retracted.

The space rippled imperceptibly.

Gu Shen's figure, along with every trace of his Qi remaining in the current world, evaporated out of thin air the moment before the heavenly fire descended, disappearing completely.

The flames vainly scorched the empty stone walls.

...

Dead silence, cold.

The air was filled with the familiar sour smell of machine oil intertwined with aged antiseptic.

The heavy refined iron floor gave a solid feeling underfoot.

Gu Shen's body solidified from the void, landing steadily in an absolutely silent refined steel secret chamber.

"Beep—Local area network reconnected successfully. Main control protocol activated."

The iron clasp at his collar quickly unfolded into a mechanical spider, and Crab's vibrant electronic voice echoed in the secret chamber, "Welcome back, Master. The overall physical state of Shelter No. 7 is stable, with no abnormal intrusions detected."

Gu Shen supported himself with one hand against the refined steel cabinet beside him, exhaling a long breath of turbid air.

The cramping pain in his chest was still severe, but the deadly crisis hanging over his head had already been isolated in another plane.

He stood in this Shelter, filled with the industrial texture of the Wasteland, his gaze sweeping over the familiar environment, and a look of relaxation finally appeared on his cold, stern face.

"Safe."

Gu Shen sat down cross-legged, no longer suppressing his injuries, and began to breathe and practice at ease.